The first trains have taken to the track on the world's longest high-speed rail line which stretches a staggering 1,400 miles across China.

The line, which runs roughly the equivalent distance of a journey between London and Gibraltar, will halve the travelling time from the country's capital Beijing to Guangzhou, an economic hub in the south.

The first train along the 2,298km track set off from Beijing at 9am with a train heading in the opposite direction an hour later.

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All aboard: A bullet train which reaches speeds of 182 mph on the newly opened 1,400 mile high speed rail line which stretches south from the Chinese capital Beijing

Quick journey: Passengers board a high-speed train at Changsha South Railway Station today on the first train between Beijing and Guangzhou

Ready to go: Stewardesses stand beside a high-speed train at Beijing West Railway Station today

Trains on the line will travel at 186mph with the journey taking around eight hours.

The fastest journey time between the two cities had been more than 20 hours before the line opened.